Stars sit again – Miami’s this time – as Spurs fall to Heat

The 150-mile drive from Laredo to the AT&T Center went by in a flash for Mario Dominguez and his 9-year-old son, Mario-Andre, decked out in his LeBron James Miami Heat jersey and LeBron James signature Nike shoes.

The elder Dominguez had paid $3,000 for two third-row seats for Sunday’s Spurs-Heat game so his son could see his favorite NBA player up close. The trip was easy.

Learning that James, the three-time Most Valuable Player, was not going to play against the Spurs was more than hard.

“He’s heartbroken,” the elder Dominguez said as his son buried his head in his father’s shoulder and tried to comprehend why he wasn’t going to see James in action.

With the Heat having locked up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference on Friday night in New Orleans, Miami coach Eric Spoelstra opted Sunday to sit James, All-Star guard Dwyane Wade and starting point guard Mario Chalmers, all with nagging injuries.

James sat out the fourth quarter of the Heat’s easy victory in New Orleans with a tight right hamstring. He scored 36 points in the first three quarters of that game.

The pain in James’ hamstring was nothing compared to what the 9-year-old Dominguez felt.

“They get paid to do this,” his father said. “They’re famous and I understand being careful, but this is very hard.”

James plays in front of fans wearing his replica jerseys in every arena in the league, and there were hundreds of those in the AT&T Center on Sunday.

Van Robbins, a 24-year-old from San Antonio, was in his James jersey and wondered if Spoelstra’s decision was “revenge” for Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich’s having sent Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Danny Green home to San Antonio rather than suit them up for a game against the Heat in Miami on Nov. 29.

“I think the shoe is on the other foot,” he said, “but it’s sort of the same, too. The Spurs were the road team then and the Heat the road team tonight, so Spoelstra’s doing the same thing.

“It sucks, but I expected it to happen. Maybe if their win streak was still going on, they would have played their stars.”

Hayden Weir, a 17-year-old Churchill High School student, was in the fourth row in his Heat No. 6 jersey and a hand-lettered sign that read, “Come on, LeBron, It’s Easter.”

“I kind of understand they’re kind of mad about losing the (27-game win) streak and all that, but it didn’t seem like he was hurt for the Hornets game. He had a really good game there.

“The fact is they have the No. 1 spot now and they’re trying to prepare for the playoffs. They know the Spurs are a good team, just like the Spurs knew they were a good team when they rested their stars. But it still kind of sucks.”

Popovich had his own reaction to Spoelstra’s decision to err on the side of caution with his key players, something he has done on numerous occasions in this and other seasons: Feigned outrage.

“What kind of (stuff) is that?” he said, jumping backwards as if hit with a stun gun. “Are you kidding? What a bunch of rummies. Who would think of something like that? That’s below the belt. There’s no place for that stuff.”